Amusement device



1. STANLEY AND J( C.. PORTER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 0CT.271 I9I9.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Z SHEETS-SHEET I.

I lw/O 49 9.!26 lI ILI/ J. STANLEY AND J. C. PORTER.

AMU'SEMENT DEVICE.

APPucATioN FILED ocT.27,1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEES-SHEET Z.

4UNITED 'sT-Ares V`'P AT ENT OFFICE.

JOHN STANLEY, or SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, ANDJAMES c.y PORTER, or SEATTLE,

WASHINGTON.

' vented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the following is Ia specification.

This` inventionfrelates generally to amusement devices of the character setforth in United States Patents No.y 1,165,552 issued to J. Stanley and J. C. Porter December 28,

1915, and No. 1,290,392 issued to J. stanley January` 7, 1919.

The principal object of the present invention is t o perfect apparatus of this. character by employing improvedstructural features involving elevated rotary carriers from `which dependa plurality of vehicles arranged to r'evolubly travel in curvilinear directions with the various carriers.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved, means for suspending the vehicles ,from said carriers.

A furtherlobject of the invention is to provide said vehicles with attachments adapted to act in coperation with mechanism provided on the various carriers whereby the vehicles are transferred tangentially between adjacent carriersin a positive and safe manner.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved construction of amusement device of the class described which will be extremely interesting to the users and be efficient and inexpensive to operate.

The invention in its form now preferred by ns is illustratedvin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is ahorizontal sectional view through 11 of F 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus with the containing structure shown in section. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail sectional views, shown I somewhat l diagrammatically, taken substantially through 3 3 and 4-.-.4 of Fig. 5, to illustrate the action of the eccentrics and coperating devices in bringing the hooks into` the positions. in which they areshown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is aufraglnenytary vertical sectional v'iew through Fig. 6.

Specification of Letters Patent.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

'Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

l'Appia-ation ie'a octbr 27, 1919. serial No. 333,776.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing two of the carriers illustrated in Figfl, said section being on' line 6 -6 of Fig. 5.

According tothe present invention, we provide a structure having a horizontal frame .comprising truss elements 10 which are sustained by and serve as braces for posts 11 and 12. The posts 12 are disposed concentrically about the post 11 and serve as pivotalsupports for wheels or carriers arranged in tangential relations, six being Vshown in Fig. 1 which are indicated byl C1, C2, C3, C1, and C6. Each of these carriers, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, consists of apolygonal rim 13 connected by spokes 14 and 15 from the angles thereof with a central Vhub 16 which is rotatable upon a post. 12 above a collar bearing 17.

Said carriers include annular members having peripheral grooves 18 andteeth 19 which afford gear connections between the adjacent carriers..

An endless` cable or belt 20, indicated by broken linesin Figil and by full lines in Fig. 2, as shown extends from a driving pulley 21 on a motor 22 over a guide pulley 23, thence about the carrier C1, then successively aboutthe carriers C to C2, returning from the latter over a guide pulley 24 to the motor pulley 21 whereby the carriers are rotated in the directions denoted by arrows in Figs. 1 and 6. Y

Ateach angle of a carrier the rim member 13 is provided with a Apair of bracket elements, such as 25 and 26 (Fig. 5) having at their outer ends semi-circular grooves 251 and 261, those of each pair having their axes in, vertical alinement. 27 represent upright cylindrical spindles which serve as supports for vehicles, represented as cars 28 in Figs. 1 and 2, for conveying passengers about the various carriers and the group thereof.u Said spindles are arranged to fit interchangeably in all of the grooves 251 and 261 and rigid thereon are collars 29 which are provided at their lower ends with peripheral flanges 30 which are curved to afford convex under surfaces, such as 301 in Fig. 1. The upper ends of each of the collars 29 is formed with a recessed cylindrical portion or cup 31 of an internal diameter greater than that of the respective spindle. Y

For the purpose of suspending the respective vehicles, the collars 29 seat upon the bracket elements 25 and the rounding of the bottoms of the collars facilitate the transferring of the car supports from a bracket element of one carrier to a bracket element y of another carrier.

Acting between each pair of brackets E25- 26 of a carrier is a hook as 32,' Fig. 5, secured to a rod 33 which extends radially of a carrier between the adjacent spokes 14 and l5 and is hingedly connected to a lug 161 on the respective hub. Y

The hooks 32 also extend through vertical guideslots 34 provided in the carrierrims. Each of the hooks upon occasion,'is raised and lowered bymeans of an eccentric-rod 35 extending from the associated hook rod 33 tof-an eccentric 36 provided on a sleeve 37 which is rotatably mountedvupon the adjacent spoke 14. lThe eccentrics 3G are caused to'rotate by the provision on each sleeve of four studs 38 carrying, desirably, Vrollers 39 which encounter spaced abutments or stops 40, 401 disposed in the path ofthe uppermost of said rollers and located in substantially a verticalv plane extending through the axes of the adjacent carriers and whereat the transfer of a vehicle from one carrier to another is effected. Y Y

The operation of the hook devices will be understood from an inspection of Figs. 3, 4 and 5, Assuming a hook is in its raised or disengaged positionwith respect to a cup 31 as shown with respect to the hook at the right handside in Fig. 5, the controlling mechanism thereof will then be as represented at A in Fig. 4 with the eccentric in its most elevated position. V

Inv advancing, the roller indicated by 391 (Fig. 4) encounters the stop 40 and in the travel of the referred -to mechanism such roller is arrested by this stop 40 Vcausing a one fourth of al rotation to be imparted tothe sleeve and eccentric, thereby carrying the adjacent roller 392 to be swung into position to engagethe second stop 401 land cause, in the-progressive travel of the mechanism referred to, the sleeve and eccentric to 'be turned another fourth of a rotation with the mechanism as represented by A1 in Fig. 4. The eccentric being thus turned effects the lowering of the associated eccentric rod 35 and theassociated hook 32 so as to be brought into a cup vengaging position as shown at the left inFig.

To elevate a h ook for di'sengaging the samefrom a cup, the rollers 393 Yand`391, see Fig.V 3, successively engage' stops 40 Vand 401 to afford Va half rotation to the sleeve and eccentric to cause the Vhook elevating mechanism to be Imoved from 'the A2 position intovthe A1 positions as represented in Fig." l l Y rlhe stops 40, 401 are furthermore arl ranged to regulate the hooks so that the cups of the car supporting spindles 27 will not become released from the hooks of one carrier until engaged bythe hooks of another carrier, which actions will take place as the cars travel across` planes extended throughV the axes of adjacent carriers.

What we claim isl.. In apparatus of the class described, tangentially arranged wheels, vehicle carrying spindles, means provided on thespindles whereby the latter' are suspended from the rims of Ysaidv wheels, hook devices for cle .carrying spindles depending from thel wheel rims and engageable in said grooves, hook devices engageable with said spindles, and means forr'aisi-ng and 'lowering saidV devices fromv and into engagement with the i spindles at approximately the points of tangency between the adjacent wheels,

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination witha Vseries of tangentially arranged wheels provided with, peripheral brackets, and means to rotate said wheels, Yof a plurality of vehicle-suspending spindles provided with collars adapted to be supported upon said wheel brackets,v devices revoluble with the respective wheels and engageable with said collars Vfor-normally coupling said collars to the respective wheels, camsV operatively connected with said devices, and means rendered operativeY by the rotation `of they wheels whereby said cams are rotated to cause said devices. toeifect the transfer of said spindles between the various wheels. Y Y Y .Y

4. In apparatus ofthe class described,

the combination with a series of tangentially said spindles between-the adjacent wheels.

5,1n apparatus of the `classdescribed, the combination with Va plurality of vtangentlally arranged wheels, means for rotating said Wheels, a plurality of vehicle suspendpoints of tangency from one wheell to aning spindles, and Collars upon said spindles other.

adapted to be supported on the rims of said JOHN STANLEY.

Wheels, of hook devices carried by the e- JAMES C. PORTER. 5 speetive Wheels and engageable with said Vitnessesfor John Stanley:

colla-rs, a Cam for each of said devices, and F. Gr. HENTIG.7

means adapted to aotuate said cams to regu- T. L. MARTIN.

late the action of said devices for releasably Vitnesses for James C. Porter:

securing the spindles to said Wheels and PIERRE BARNES,

l0 @Heet the transfer of the spindles at the A. L. BOWEN. 

